Nigeria and the United States convene Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence meeting in Lagos

Nigeria is hosting the first conference on Global Inclusivity and Artificial Intelligence in Africa.

The United States Department of State and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy are convening more than 200 stakeholders, including senior officials from the United States and Africa for the event taking place in Lagos City.

Also in attendance are representatives from the private sector executives, civil society members, and academia.

The Global Inclusivity and AI: Africa’ conference is taking place for two days in Lagos, Nigeria, from September 10 to 11 in Lagos. 

The conference participants are discussing the opportunities and challenges in the responsible development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The group will also seek to identify and harmonize Artificial Intelligence governance strategies between the United States and African nations to enable AI deployments on the continent to be more safe, secure, transparent, and trustworthy.

The Nigerian conference builds on the positive momentum of the U.S. Secretary of State’s trip to Nigeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, and Angola in January 2024.

It also compliments the landmark adoption and co-sponsorship of 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa of the ‘Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development” resolution by the United Nations in March.

The event expands on Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s visit to Abuja for the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar. 

The conference will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Digital Transformation with Africa initiative, which invests in expanding digital access and literacy while strengthening the digital business enabling environment across the continent.

The delegation from the United States will be led by Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology, Dr. Seth Center, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Joy Basu, and will feature recorded remarks from Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.